INSIDER: STRATFORD
Where to eat and drink
It’s kitsch, but the café joyfully commits to the theme
33 The Scullery
Locality is key at 33 the Scullery, where superb dishes are made with ingredients from Warwickshire and surrounding counties – think Evesham tomato salad followed by duck breast with Stratford mulberry gin & crisp parsnips. This approach has won the team a loyal following of people who appreciate fresh, quality food, courtesy of a chef who grew up in Warwickshire and knows well what bounty this area offers. 33scy.co.uk CD, CE
The One Elm
Recently refurbished by pub group Peach, The One Elm is that rare beast: a gastropub in a tourist town that has managed to cling onto both its community and its character. Obvious favourites such as beer-battered fish and chips are given a delicious lift by virtue of their ingredients being ethically and locally sourced. This is still, however, a boozer at heart; the drinks list is short but well curated, with gin from the nearby Cotswolds and ales on tap from award-winning Purity Brewing Company and Church Farm Brewery. oneelmstratford.co.uk CD, KF
Vinology
This wine shop on Henley Street sources from small, independent family-run producers, and the quality and character of its wines are unlike anything you’ll find on supermarket shelves or even larger wine merchants. Outside of the wine world, Vinology also offers a fine selection of whiskies and a variety of spirits, including gin from the nearby Shakespeare Distillery. Wine and whisky tastings are offered throughout the year. vinology.co.uk S, SO
Salt
In 2011, Paul Foster – then head chef at Suffolk’s Tuddenham Mill – nurtured an ambition: to leave Suffolk, return to his home county of Warwickshire and establish his own place. The dream was something produce-lead, servicedriven and dancing to his tune. Salt is this restaurant. It’s a cool, whitewashed, Michelin-starred affair, where ingredients come first, technique second and, if strictly necessary, technology adds the finishing touches. Sample, for instance, cured mackerel with miso butter & brown shrimp, Otterburn Mangalitza pork with caramelised turnip, and rhubarb with brioche & cardamom custard, all for just £40 a head. You could spend more at the theatre, with less guarantee of it being a showstopper. salt-restaurant.co.uk CD, SO
Barry the Butcher
This Chapel Street butcher is the trusted supplier for many local businesses. Rump, ribs, shoulders and chicken breast are all available alongside lesser known cuts, and there are piles of plump sausages to choose from: try venison & cranberry; mushroom & smoked bacon; or the legendary pork, apple & black pudding. The selection of small-batch pickles, jellies and sauces offers all you could need in the way of accompaniments and, come game season, you’ll find partridge, pheasant and venison on offer, too (sourced as regionally as possible, as with everything sold here). barrythebutcher.co.uk
El Greco
A big fat Greek family affair, El Greco is fun, generous and flavoursome. All the headliners are here – think tzatziki, souvlaki, spanakopita – and there are delicious B-sides in the form of stifado, a slow-cooked beef stew, and kleftiko, a tender lamb shank dish. The atmosphere is buzzing, the food is made for sharing and it all makes a refreshing change from the modern British-european fare that dominates the town. facebook.com/el.greco.stratforduponavon CD, CE, KF
Paxton & Whitfield
Royal warrant holder Paxton & Whitfield has supplied cheese to numerous monarchs over the years and is said to have been favoured by Sir Winston Churchill. Housed in one of Stratford’s characteristic period buildings, this branch has everything you’d expect from a cheesemonger of such renown – huge wheels of fragrant Alpine cheeses; clothbound truckles of vintage cheddars; ash-dusted goat’s cheeses; nettlecloaked Cornish yarg; and a variety of Cotswold- and Warwickshire-made chutneys and cheeses. paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
No 9 Church Street
Set in a Grade Ii-listed building, No 9 Church Street is run by chef Wayne Thompson. There’s enough innovation to be interesting – the crab ravioli comes with asparagus & miso broth; the glazed burrata with compressed watermelon & molasses – but it’s the ingredients’ hyperlocality that play the starring role. Atelier smoked salmon, Hunscote Farm Shop vegetables and Black Pig Company pork loin are just a few of the namechecked ingredients on the menu. no9churchst.com SO
Box Brownie Coffee
It’s a brave soul who opens an independent café in a chain-choked tourist town, where proximity is often of far greater consideration than dark roast pour-overs. That Box Brownie continues to flourish is testimony to the quality not just of its coffee (locally roasted at Monsoon Estates and served with highwelfare milk from a nearby farm) but of the service its founders provide. As for the brownies, they’re perfect: crisp on the outside and just shy of molten within. boxbrowniecoffee.com CE, KF
The Fourteas
Unlike many of Stratford’s Shakespeare-heavy establishments, The Fourteas’ interest lies some 300 years later. You’ll find ration books, Oxo tins and even an air-raid shelter among the Second World War memorabilia here. It’s kitsch, but the café joyfully commits to the theme, from the titular pun to the solid brown teapots (filled with loose leaf teas from ethical tea merchants Golden Monkey Tea Co). Ingredients are sourced locally, and even the thematic waitress uniforms are designed and made in nearby Tiddington. thefourteas.co.uk KF, SO
Coming soon... The Woodsman
Leading game chef Mike Robinson, co-owner of Michelin-starred The Harwood Arms, is set to open The Woodsman. His plans include an on-site butchery, fish sourced from Cornwall and vegetables from nearby Evesham. thewoodsmanrestaurant.com